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SCENARIO 1.1 ''Liberty'' |
Current rating: 3 |
by jonah and communitarian
(No verified email address) |
24 Jul 2003
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The unfortunate events in a sleepy little town called "Liberty," as envisioned by Jonah. |
from "just maybe" by jonah, modified by communitarian
SCENARIO 1.1 "Liberty"
The Town of "Liberty" was a population of 100,000 with one primary source for its munincipal water; "Freedom Lake". The local statutes allow businesses to make unfettered use of this crucial body of water, and accordingly several local companies have purchased property rights to portions "Freedom Lake".
- Company "A" bottles the lake water and markets it nationally, employing 500 local workers in the process.
- Company "B" operates a nuclear power plant employing 1,000 local workers to supply inexpensive energy for the residents of Liberty and the surrounding region.
- Company "C" harvests millfoil through aqua culture which is processed into an energy/health diet supplement pill, employing 50 local workers.
- Company "D" operates a canoe/kayak rental service and owns the remaining shoreline, for which it charges access fees for swimming and the like. The company employs 100 local workers to operate its variety of recreational services.
In due time, Company "C" has an unforseeable breach in its containment booms. Their millfoil spreads amazingly fast across "Lake Freedom," and despite a genuine effort to stem the breach, there is significant environmental damage -- not the least of is the contamination of Company "A"s property -- its bottled water supply.
In a lawsuit, Company "A" is awarded a substantial amount for damages caused by Company "C"s accident. The Insurers of Company "C" arrange a payout that meets to Company "A"s satisaction, but results in the foreclosure of Company "C" -- and the unemployment of 50 local workers.
In time Company "A" has financial difficulties of its own and Company "B" buys-out the unhealthy business, continuing to market water bottled from "Lake Freedom." With the massive capitol gains from power generation, Company "B" has solved the lingering environmental damage to it's portion of the lake by erecting a containment system. The unintended consequence means that the remaining millfoil contamination has been concentrated in Company "D" portion of "Lake Freedom."
Soon Company "D"s recreational service business, which once drew tourists from a wide area, suffers a devastating drop in attendance. Although Company "D" had always been successful, the scale of the loss is much greater than even the rosiest of future profit forecasts. The unfortunate affect of the several years lag time between the accident and Company "D"s damage has made litigation a fruitless endeavor -- Company "C" has long since closed. In the end, Company "D"s managed so sell its property to a beachcombers society for a fraction of its value leaving another 100 local employees workers unemployed.
Ironically the millfoil menace eventually creeps past Company "B" containment system causing a catastrophic meltdown of the nuclear reactor. Nearly 800 members of Company "B"s workforce died in the tragedy and not surprisingly the town had to evacuated. "Liberty" and its once scenic "Freedom Lake" have become unhatibable for next 500 years.
Finally, a two-months supply of bottled water was irradiated prior to the accident due to cooling leaks as a result of the millfoil-inspired meltdown. An estimated 10,000 people were affected -- their mortality rate over the next decade-or-so is expected to be unprecedented. Ensuing generations will face untold health problem as a result.
The chief executives and principals owners of Company "B" escaped serving any meaningful jail time and now are now gainfully employed in corporations elsewhere.
END OF SCENARIO
See: http://idaho.indymedia.org/news/2003/04/2222_comment.php#3287 |
